Miracle 11 miles & Japanese Tea Ceremony
After I came back from
the French Meadows Macrobiotic Camp I realized how amazed and inspired I was by being 5600 feet up in the
mountains with the delicious nourishing food cooked by so many wonderful, caring people on wood burning fires.
One week of total immersion in nature without
internet or phone and just being present made me feel powerful, amazing and
totally FREE. I feel I am amazing, not in an egoistical
or narcissistic way, but in a humbling way. I am still freeing the
magical moments!!! I am so grateful that I am able to write and share them with
you.
I have attended many
conferences and risen early to do yoga, taichi, do-in and mediation. I've also
undergone 5 to10 days of silent vipassana meditation in nature, gotten up at 4
am, meditated for 10 hours a day, eaten simple food etc.
But this camp was
different...
Miracle
hike: I was able to hike 11 miles to the waterfall. I had resolved after I saw
this year's first sunrise during a hike that I am going to practice walking
with more vigor and determination.
On September 8, 2001 I
had a near-fatal car accident in Arizona. I was in a coma for three days and my
heart stopped for 12 minutes. I had an out of body experience, but my desire to
come was strong. When I came back to, the surgeon said both legs were
seriously damaged and one of the legs was almost amputated. He also said
I would probably never walk.
Thirteen screws and
three plates were built into my legs. It has been the hardest challenge in my
life, greater than when I had cancer in 1993.
It has been over 10
years since the car accident and I knew that I need a transformation, but I
never dreamed I would walk 11 miles!
They had told me it
would be an 8-mile hike so my mind was saying I have been walking one to 2
miles every week since my new-year resolution, so I may be able to walk 4 miles
tops and wait for the others to finish if I felt I couldn't go on.
The Universe had a
different plan for me.
On the way to the
waterfall, it was hot and the hills were steep. After 45 minutes of
walking I could only hear my heartbeat. For the first time after the car
accident I felt the damages of my heart and lungs from the car accident. They
had been crushed, bruised and crying out loud to overcome the injuries. My legs
were in so much pain, and I had to separate myself from my physical part. It
was almost like the out of body experience that I had after the car
accident.
I am grateful to my
body, especially to my legs for following my heart. When I got to the third
creek I thought I would never make it because I was afraid something was going
to happen and I might faint or break my body. Dan, our guide, asked me what I
wanted to do. I said I want to put my feet in the water of the creek and think
for 5 minutes. When I am with other people usually I feel that I don’t
want to burden them, so I felt I must come to a decision quickly. My
heart told me to take this moment, so I not only put my feet in the water, I
dunked my head and cooled off so I could think clearly. Then… my heart
told me to keep going.
Just writing this brings
tears to my eyes, knowing how far I have come.
I want to thank the
people who helped me on the hike and patiently allowed me to finish:
Dan (hiking guide), for his expert leadership;
Gloria, who carried my bag on the way back; DTK (Mr. Kaneko), who carried my
lunch and gave me shiatsu massage when we stopped to rest the second creek;
Eva, my walking and talking companion; Nobu (Mr.Otake), who gave me a
hand when I was crossing the creeks; Cathy, Who had an
infectious vitality that encouraged me to keep up on the way back, Brian, for his quiet and kind support; John and
Christina, who gave me a ride to the trail and for their spiritual support; and
last but not least, to my heart and faith.
I thank you all from my
bottom of heart!!!
You guys were all
amazing!!!
Everyone at Miracle 11 miles hike
It was all up hill on the way
Beautiful meadow with so many different kinds of mountain wild flowers
DTK(Mr. Kaneko) was giving shiatsu massage
My feet with hiking shoes and organic tie dye socks
Me at the water fall
On the way back the last group to walked with me
My feet when I completed the hike
Another Amazing thing
happened was Japanese Tea Ceremony.
I met Simon Brown from
England for the first time. We connected in a deep level when he expressed his
knowledge of WABISABI: a comprehensive Japanese world view or aesthetic
centered on the acceptance of transience and imperfection while we were talking
over one lunch time.
Simon and I decided to
offer Japanese tea ceremony as WABISABI at the Camp spontaneously. We did not
know how many people would be interested, but it filled up very quickly. We had
not planned anything so it was a very casual tea ceremony, but Simon explained
the philosophy of Wabisabi and how the traditional Japanese tea ceremony was
conducted. I shared what I learned in tea ceremony lessons when I was in
high school in Japan. It was a very peaceful and serene experience,
despite the lack of all the trimmings and preparation.
Listening to the tea
being poured into the cups, smelling the tea, cradling the cups in our hands… I
felt the people who attended the ceremony enjoy the quiet inner beauty we all
have. I thank Simon for bringing up the idea and allowing me to share my
heritage of Japanese Wabisabi.
With Simon at Japanese Tea Ceremony
People enjoying at the Japanese Tea Ceremony
What was truly amazing
about my experience at this camp was how I exceeded what I believed to be my
physical limitations, and at the same time surpassed what I expected to achieve
in terms of inner peace and beauty.
On the last morning, I
joined Mike Chen, the amazing morning greeter.
Singing happy songs
and using my innermost amplified voice to shout "Good
morning" toward the open air, facing each cardinal compass point, never
felt more refreshing and empowering.
Sky of the last morning at 5:15am
I felt that this camp was
my re-birth!
I thank from the bottom
of my heart all the people who organized, worked and cooked wonderful real food
everyday with Carl and Julia, all the friends I already knew and all
the new friends I made.
Love,
Sanae
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